Tag Archives: unity

I’m back! Part of the reason for my two-week absence was involvement in co-leading a Women’s Retreat. As I get back into normal (and blogging) life, here are some of the thoughts from the retreat that really challenged me. Brenda Anderson spoke on the book of Philippians.

On Joy

The book of Philippians was written during Paul’s imprisonment, yet is full of some of the most encouraging words on rejoicing and joy in the Bible. (IfPaul can write on joy like that from prison, then what’s my excuse?)

Paul did not find joy in the prison, he took it with him into the prison.

Joy is confidence that my relationship with Christ is good. All of Paul’s painful circumstances only drew him closer to the Lord and therefore increased his joy.

On Unity

If you’ve been encouraged and helped by your unity with Christ, then why are you not passing it on to others? (Phil. 2:1-2)

A disregard or indifference to others is a mark of spiritual immaturity. It is selfishness.

On Perfection

God is responsible for the completion and perfection of the work in you. (Hope for perfectionists!)

All of our achievement comes out of the overflow of God’s work in us.

Our prize is not necessarily Christlikeness, but Christ Himself. Being like Christ is the best way to be effective for Christ.

On Servanthood

Servanthood is two things: helping others and taking orders.

We can have a restful life instead of a driven life because we trust Him to bring the fruit from our servanthood. We look to Him to give us both the task and then the fruit.

It’s the peace between friends that drift apart because everything was assumed and nothing was resolved.

It’s in the marriage that carries on without warmth like an old bathrobe that’s kept because change takes too much work.

It’s in the cold church attendee who sits stoically, without the courage to forgive fellow congregants for various affronts.

This peace is enforced through strict rules imposed by hurt, angry parties.

And while the fights no longer take place openly, they’re carried on in glances and snarls, things left unsaid and words to others. In stomach ulcers and panic attacks, misdirected anger and therapy sessions.

This is the only peace the world can offer…

It’s a peace that keeps the self guarded at the cost of unity.

It’s a peace that holds grudges up like a shield and always remembers the wrongs-record.

It’s a peace that puts on a good show to those watching from far away, but poisons all those who are close to it.

But it’s not the only kind of peace available.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

…In the middle of counseling an angry, fist-fight-prone young boy, a careless group of women constantly interrupts us. I’m also impatient for a call from some estranged friends who wanted to talk about why they left our church….

That’s the dream I woke up from this morning. Unfortunately, each of those conflicts are not dreams. The young boy who fights with everyone, the careless woman interrupting, and the estranged friends – each has or is happening.

The dream was so vivid that I feel like I really re-lived these conflicts last night. I feel a bit exhausted. So much pain, so much hurt, so much disunity and carelessness. So many broken friendships along the way. My heart sobs, Why?

Today is Pentecost Sunday. The day we’re supposed to celebrate the coming of the Spirit who would be our Counselor, Teacher, and Unifier. Unifier. Jesus spent a really long time praying that we would experience unity. And not the cheap, fake kind that smiles from the pew at 10am and gripes on the way home at 11:15am.

One of the new songs by Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, is “Maybe There’s a World”. In it, he sings,

I have dreamt of a place in time, where nobody gets annoyed…

… of a world… [where] nobody’s takin’ sides.

He clearly doesn’t find it in this world, so he wonders in the chorus,

Maybe there’s a world that I’m still to find. Maybe there’s a world that I’m still to find.

I’ve listened to that song about four times this morning.

I’m longing for the world we’re still to find. The unseen world, the Heavenly country. Where true unity flourishes. Where we’ve been perfected so that petty personal differences and our own selfish desire to steer clear of painful conversations are cleared away. Where we celebrate together. Together.

In reading my Bible, I guess that by being a part of the Church – the body on whom the Holy Spirit was poured out – I’m supposed to have already found a tiny piece of that Heavenly world here on earth.

Instead, I’ll be spending this morning mourning the loss of some friendships and wondering if we could ever be restored to one another.